Designation: C 16 81 (Reapproved 1996)e1

Standard Test Method for

Load Testing Refractory Brick at High Temperatures1

This standard is issued under the fixed designation C 16; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original
adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript
epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

e1 NOTEKeywords were added editorially in September 1996.

3.2 This test method is not applicable for refractory materials that are unstable in an oxidizing atmosphere unless means
are provided to protect the specimens.

1. Scope
1.1 This test method covers the determination of the resistance to deformation or shear of refractory brick when subjected to a specified compressive load at a specified temperature for a specified time.
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded
as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for
information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address the safety
concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility
of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and
health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory
limitations prior to use.

4. Apparatus
4.1 The apparatus shall consist essentially of a furnace and
a loading device. It may be constructed in accordance with Fig.
1 or Fig. 2 or their equivalent.3
4.1.1 The furnace shall be so constructed that the temperature is substantially uniform in all parts of the furnace. The
temperature as measured at any point on the surface of the test
specimens shall not differ by more than 10F (5.5C) during
the holding period of the test or, on test to failure, above
2370F (1300C). To accomplish this, it may be necessary to
install and adjust baffles within the furnace. A minimum of two
burners shall be used. If difficulty is encountered in following
the low-temperature portion of the schedule (particularly for
silica brick), a dual-burner system is recommended, one to
supply heat for low temperatures and another for the higher
temperatures.
4.2 The temperature shall be measured either with calibrated4,5,6 platinum - platinum - rhodium thermocouples, each
encased in a protection tube with the junction not more than 1
in. (25 mm) from the center of the side or edge of each
specimen or with a calibrated4,5,6 pyrometer. A recording form
of temperature indicator is recommended. If the optical pyrometer is used, observations shall be made by sighting on the face
of the specimens and in the same relative positions as those
specified for the thermocouples.

2. Referenced Documents
2.1 ASTM Standards:
E 220 Method for Calibration of Thermocouples by Comparison Techniques2
3. Significance and Use
3.1 The ability of a refractory brick to withstand prescribed
loads at elevated temperatures is a measure of the hightemperature service potential of the material. By definition,
refractory brick must resist change due to high temperature;
and the ability to withstand deformation or shape change when
subjected to significant loading at elevated temperatures is
clearly demonstrated when refractory brick are subjected to
this test method. The test method is normally run at sufficiently
high temperature to allow some liquids to form within the test
brick or to cause weakening of the bonding system. The result
is usually a decrease in sample dimension parallel to the
applied load and increase in sample dimensions perpendicular
to the loading direction. Occasionally, shear fracture can occur.
Since the test provides easily measurable changes in dimensions, prescribed limits can be established, and the test method
has been long used to determine refractory quality. The test
method has often been used in the establishment of written
specifications between producers and consumers.

5. Test Specimen
5.1 The test specimen shall consist of a minimum of two 9
by 412 by 212 or 3-in. (228 by 114 by 64 or 76-mm) straight
refractory brick, or specimens of this size cut from larger
shapes, utilizing as far as possible existing plane surfaces.
3
Blueprints of detailed drawings of the furnaces shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are
available from ASTM. Request Adjunct No. 12-300160-00.
4
Method E 220 specifies calibration procedures for thermocouples.
5
The National Institutes of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899,
will, for a fee, furnish calibrations for radiation-type pyrometers and for thermocouples.
6
All temperatures specified in this test conform to the International Practical
Temperature Scale of 1968 (IPTS 1968) as described in Metrologia, Vol 5, No. 2,
1969, pp. 3544.

1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee C-8 on
Refractories and is the direct responsibility of Subcommiteee C08.01 on Strength.
Current edition approved Dec. 28, 1981. Published March 1982. Originally
published as C16 17 T. Last previous edition C16 77.
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 14.03.

Copyright ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

C 16

in.
18
24

SI Equivalents
mm
460
610

NOTE 1Dimensions are in inches.

FIG. 1 Direct-Load Type Test Furnace

sieve (equivalent to a 20-mesh Tyler Standard Series). At the

top of the test specimen a block of similar highly refractory
material should be placed, extending through the furnace top to
receive the load.

5.2 If necessary, the ends of the specimen shall be ground so

that they are approximately perpendicular to the vertical axis.
5.3 The test specimen shall be measured before testing, four
observations being made on each dimension (length, width,
and thickness), at the center of the faces to within 60.02 in.
(0.5 mm). The average dimensions shall be recorded, and the
cross section calculated.

NOTE 1Recommended designs for the furnace and loading device are
shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. Inside dimensions may vary between those
shown on these drawings. The dimensions of the framework will be
determined by the selection made on inside dimensions, thickness of
refractory wall etc. The framework for either the direct loading or lever
type are shown in sufficient detail so detailed drawings for furnace
construction can easily be made. The use of a flue system with either
design is optional.
NOTE 2Gross errors which may more than double the deformation
will result if the specimen is not set perpendicular to the base of the
support or if the load is applied eccentrically.

6. Setting the Test Specimen

6.1 The test specimen, set on end, shall occupy a position in
the furnace so that the center line of the applied load coincides
with the vertical axis of the specimen as indicated in Fig. 1 and
Fig. 2 and shall rest on a block of some highly refractory
material, neutral to the specimen, having a minimum expansion
or contraction (Note 1). There shall be placed between the
specimen and the refractory blocks a thin layer of highly
refractory material such as fused alumina, silica, or chrome
ore, that has been ground to pass a No. 20 (850-m) ASTM

7. Procedure
7.1 LoadingCalculate the gross load to be applied
throughout the test from the average cross section of the
2

C 16

NOTE 1Dimensions are in inches. See Fig. 1 for SI equivalents.

FIG. 2 Lever-Load Type Test Furnace

original specimen as determined in 5.3. Apply a load of 25 psi

(172 kPa), before heating is started. When testing specimens
that are likely to fail by shear, make provision so that the
loading mechanism cannot drop more than 12 in. (13 mm)
when failure occurs.
7.2 HeatingThe rate of heating shall be in accordance
with the requirements prescribed in Table 1. The temperature
shall not vary more than 620F (11C) from the specified
temperature.
7.3 Furnace AtmosphereAbove a temperature of 1470F
(800C) the furnace atmosphere shall contain a minimum of
0.5 % oxygen with 0 % combustibles. Take the atmosphere
sample from the furnace chamber proper, preferably as near the
test specimen as possible.
7.4 Completion of Test and ReportWhen a shear test is
completed by failure of the brick, report the temperature of
shear. At the expiration of a test that does not involve shearing
of the brick, allow the furnace to cool by radiation to 1830F
(1000C) or lower before the load is removed and the specimens are examined. After cooling the test specimens to room
temperature, remeasure them for length in accordance with 5.3.
Calculate and report the average percent deformation, based on
the original length, as the average value of the two specimens.

8. Precision and Bias

8.1 Interlaboratory Test Data:
8.1.1 Results of a round-robin test between six laboratories
running two replicates each of a lot of super-duty fireclay brick
and a lot of 70 % Al2O3 brick (N = 24) using Schedule 3 were
evaluated to develop precision and bias statements.
8.1.2 Using 95 % confidence limits, the differences and
interactions between laboratories were found to be not significant. The interaction sum of squares was pooled with the
residual error to calculate the within-laboratory variance:
Grand mean = 3.19 % subsidence
Standard deviation within laboratories = 60.915 %
Standard deviation between laboratories = 60.629 %
Coefficient of variation within laboratories = 628.7 %
Coefficient of variation between laboratories = 619.7 %
8.2 Precision:
8.2.1 Critical differences were calculated from the coefficients of variation to normalize for the variation in means for
the two brick types ( x = 5.43 % subsidence for super-duty
brick and 0.939 % subsidence for 70 % Al2O3 brick). Thus, for
the 95 % confidence level and t = 1.96, the critical differences
are as specified in Table 2.
8.2.2 The user is cautioned that other test temperatures, test
schedules, and specimens of different compositions may yield
greater or less precision than given above.

NOTE 3It is recommended that a photograph be made of the specimens before and after testing to provide useful information.

C 16
TABLE 1 Time-Temperature Schedules for Heating the Test Furnace All temperatures shall be maintained within 620F (11C) during
the heat-up schedule and 610F (5.5C) during the holding period.
Elapsed Time from
Start of Heating

Schedule 1,
2370F Hold

Schedule 2,
2460F Hold

Schedule 3,
2640F Hold

Schedule 4,
Silica Brick,
Test to Failure

Schedule 5, Test
to Failure

Schedule 6,
2900F Hold

Schedule 7,
3000F Hold

min

0
15
30
45

930
1105
1265
1420

500
595
685
770

930
1150
1330
1500

500
620
720
815

1040
1255
1470
1650

560
680
800
900

245
310
380
450

120
155
195
230

1330
1490
1650
1780

720
810
900
970

1330
1490
1650
1780

720
810
900
970

1330
1490
1650
1780

720
810
900
970

0
15
30
45

1560
1690
1815
1920

850
920
990
1050

1650
1795
1915
2010

900
980
1045
1100

1815
1960
2085
2190

990
1070
1140
1200

535
630
775
1025

280
330
415
550

1910
2005
2100
2180

1045
1095
1150
1195

1910
2005
2100
2180

1045
1095
1150
1195

1910
2005
2100
2180

1045
1095
1150
1195

0
15
30
45

2010
2095
2165
2230

1100
1145
1185
1220

2100
2185
2255
2320

1150
1195
1235
1270

2280
2355
2425
2500

1250
1290
1330
1370

1275
1525
1750
1990

690
830
955
1090

2260
2315
2370
2415

1240
1270
1300
1325

2260
2315
2370
2415

1240
1270
1300
1325

2260
2315
2370
2415

1240
1270
1300
1325

0
15
30
45

2280
1250
2325
1275
2370
1300
Hold for 90 min

2370
1300
2425
1330
2460
1350
Hold for 90 min

2550
1400
2605
1430
2640
1450
Hold for 90 min

2200
2400
2550
2660

1205
1315
1400
1460

2460
2505
2550
2595

1350
1375
1400
1425

2460
2505
2550
2595

1350
1375
1400
1425

0
15
30
45

...

...

...

2640
2685
2730
2775

1450
1475
1500
1525

2640
2685
2730
2775

1450
1475
1500
1525

0
15
30
45

...

...

...

...

...

2820
1550
2865
1575
2900
1595
Hold for 90 min

2820
2865
2910
2955

1550
1575
1600
1625

0
15
30
45

...

...

...

...

...

3000

1650

6h

6h

6h

8 h to 3000F
(1650C)

8 h to 3180F
(1750C)

Total time

2460
1350
Continue at 180F
(100C)/h
to failure

2700
1480 . . .
Continue at 100F
(55C)/h
to failure

8h

TABLE 2 Critical Differences

Number of
Observations
in Average

Critical Difference as Percent

of Grand Average
Within One
Laboratory

Between
Laboratories

79.6
56.3
39.8
32.5
28.1
25.2
8.0

96.5
78.4
67.6
63.6
61.5
60.2
55.2

1
2
4
6
8
10
100

8.3 BiasNo justifiable statement on bias is possible since

the true value of hot compressive load deformation cannot be
established.

perature; refractory brick

9. Keywords
9.1 compressive load; deformation resistance; high tem-

Hold for 90 min

812h

C 16
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